Protect your family: Install carbon monoxide alarms

Earlier this week, news organizations throughout Utah reported on the death of four family members at a home in Idaho from carbon monoxide. It’s a tragic story, and unfortunately it’s a headline we hear multiple times each year. Dr Lindell Weaver, Division Chief and Medical Director of Hyperbaric Medicine at Intermountain Medical Center and LDS Hospital, offers insight into the silent killer and what to look for in a carbon monoxide alarm for your home and place of work.

How dangerous is Carbon Monoxide?

There are three things that make carbon monoxide extremely dangerous: 1) The molecules of carbon monoxide are so small, they can easily travel through drywall; 2) Carbon monoxide doesn’t sink or rise – it mixes easily with the air inside a home; 3) It is an odorless gas, so without an alarm to notify you that it is in your home, you likely wouldn’t notice until it was too late. These three traits combined is what gives carbon monoxide the title of, “The Silent Killer.”

Why do I need a CO alarm?

Carbon monoxide can hurt and kill people. Sources of carbon monoxide include malfunctioning water heaters or furnaces inside your home, as well as vehicles or small engines operating nearby. Dr. Weaver has worked with several patients who were poisoned by vehicles or small engines that were left running outside the home, but the gas entered through an open window or other air intake points in the home. His team has also treated people who were exposed to carbon monoxide from a boat engine while vacationing out on a lake.

What should I look for when buying a CO detector?

The price of carbon monoxide alarms ranges from $20 up to several hundred. Knowing what to look for when you head to a store or looking online can help you get the one that works best for your home. Dr. Weaver can’t endorse a specific brand of carbon monoxide alarms, but he strongly recommends one with a digital display.

You’ll notice that some carbon monoxide alarms have a digital display, while others don’t. The advantage of having a digital display is getting an earlier indication of carbon monoxide levels rising in the home. Carbon monoxide alarms don’t signal unless the gas levels reach a specified threshold for a predetermined length of time. But a digital display showing any number higher than zero indicates some level of the gas, and even low levels can be extremely dangerous.

Dr. Weaver stressed that carbon monoxide alarms aren’t perfect. For example, many residential alarms won’t signal the alarm when the carbon monoxide levels are below 30 ppm (parts per million). But continuous exposure to those levels, especially people who are more susceptible (pregnant women, children, or people with an underlying issue like heart or lung disease), can cause health problems.

Where should I install my CO detector in my home?

Minimally, a carbon monoxide alarm should be placed in the master bedroom so that at night, while you are sleeping, it will signal you to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and wake you up so you can address the problem. Dr. Weaver strongly recommends you have one carbon monoxide alarm on each level of your house where people are living. For example, if you have children who live in the basement of your home, then it is important to have a carbon monoxide alarm in their bedroom as well as the one in the master bedroom on another floor.

How often should I replace my detector?

If you’re really serious about safety, replace your alarms every three to five years. The manufacturers may say seven years, but here in Utah Dr. Weaver recommends at least every five years. The sensor in the detector is moist, and the dry air in Utah can impact that sensor’s effectiveness.

What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can occur immediately or more gradually after long-term exposure to the gas. Common symptoms may be flu-like and include dizziness, shortness of breath, headaches, confusion, nausea or fainting. If you experience any of these symptoms and are in an enclosed area, get fresh air immediately and get to an emergency department. Be sure and mention to the doctor that you suspect you may have been exposed to carbon monoxide.

Conclusion

Carbon monoxide alarms are a simple tool to help identify dangerous levels of the deadly gas and can save an entire family from getting hurt or even killed. If you don’t have an alarm in your home, Dr. Weaver strongly encourages you to pick one up and install it immediately. It can save your life, and the lives of the ones you love.

About the author

Jason M Carlton, APR, is a media relations and social media specialist at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. He has worked with Intermountain Healthcare hospitals for more than four years, including two years at Primary Children's Hospital, and was director of public relations for a Utah-based public relations agency prior to joining Intermountain Healthcare. He has a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Utah and is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America.

The views and content of this blog do not necessarily reflect the policies of Intermountain Healthcare. The content in these blogs should not be taken over advice of your care provider. As always, in the event of an emergency find care immediately.